That'd be a great topic too! I'm reminded of this strange and terrible incident: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…

Ever since that incident, I can't look at any chimp without feeling strong wariness.

Ahaha, that article really cracked me up. The header image they chose is perfect.

Yes indeed. And there is also an interesting, somewhat-related discussion to have about policies taken by nations in response to genocide and other wide-scale atrocities.

Liked for the John Fiedler shout-out! That man, god bless him, was meekness incarnate. I've not seen that Star Trek episode, but I can see what they were going for, so that was inspired casting.

I wonder if the Zodiac will have that level of staying power. Similar stories, in a way: only a handful of confirmed victims, and the same gleeful manipulation of publicity.

That reminds me of one of my very favorite Wikipedia inventories: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…

After haw-hawing for a while, the night watchman then launched into a Lerner & Loewe number!

I'd say it has to count, but gosh, post-9/11 federal restructuring alone could fill a dozen Wormholes!

"Is that the love between a man and a woman, or the love of a man for a fine Cuban cigar? Heh heh heh!"

Yeah, there are all kinds of interesting examples I can think of! For instance, the legislative movement to restrict chimpanzee ownership after that horrible attack in Connecticut a few years back.

I was thinking after reading this that "Crimes that inspired legislative or legal remediation" would be an interesting topic of conversation. But then I was immediately reminded how that almost never happens these days, other than enactment of trivial measures.

Ahhh, that's a terrific suggestion! I haven't spent too much time in New York, so I've often found myself wondering about the appearance and feel of the physical landscapes that Caro describes. Thanks, Jururr!

Hmm, I don't see why not! It was a technology we were working on that was just going to more or less be in the background of a scene from his HBO biopic about Phil Spector.

WOOOHOOOO, YEARS OF LYNDON JOHNSON. Everyone justifiably praises Master of the Senate, but for my money, Path to Power is the best of the lot, for the reason you mention: the details Caro provides about life in the Hill Country (the sad irons …) are so vivid, so powerful, so fascinating, that they truly transport the…

Thus beginning your lifelong affinity for Peter Weir!

Still reading The Power Broker. Gosh, that's a long book! But magnificent!

Interesting story! I used to work at an R&D company, and Mr. Mamet was interested in using one of our technologies in a script. It ended up getting cut from the story - budget considerations I believe - but it still allowed me the chance to chat briefly with the man on the phone.

Anyone who laughs is a communist!

That wasn't Douglas's only brush with potential VP-dom: in addition to the famous occurrence in 1944 (FDR dictated that he'd like to run with "either Bill Douglas or Harry Truman," but at some point the names were flipped and Truman got the spot), Douglas himself was convinced that Lyndon Johnson would have put him on…